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Bali (Denpasar) vs Surabaya

Indonesia flagBali (Denpasar)Indonesia flagSurabaya

Bali (Denpasar) and Surabaya are compared across affordability, safety, healthcare, career, culture and food, and public life. Bali (Denpasar) has the broader all-round edge, while Surabaya leads on safety. The better fit depends on which of those relocation priorities matters most.

Photo: Sasha India / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY)

How they compare

AffordabilitySafetyHealthcareCareerCulturePublic life
  • Bali (Denpasar)
  • Surabaya
Affordability
70
70
Safety
63
64
Healthcare
39
44
Career
43
41
Culture & food
65
47
Public life & spaces
44
33
Overall
51
46

Objective 0–100 scores from source-backed CrossBorders data. Green marks the category leader; gold is the overall leader.

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Category by category

Is Bali (Denpasar) or Surabaya cheaper to live in?

Bali 70Surabaya 70

Bali (Denpasar) and Surabaya share the same open-market one-bedroom rent on a new lease, at about €241 per month. They also share the same burden against one typical employee's mean net pay at the 120% ceiling, which is the beyond local pay band; the underlying burden may be higher.

Is Bali (Denpasar) or Surabaya safer?

Bali 63Surabaya 64

Nearly level between Surabaya and Bali. Homicide is low in both; the real risk in each is the road, with traffic safety the weak link rather than crime.

Does Bali (Denpasar) or Surabaya have better healthcare?

Bali 39Surabaya 44

Surabaya edges ahead, though both are the region's soft spot. Neither has the specialist depth of Manila or Singapore, and serious cases in either city often mean traveling out.

Is Bali (Denpasar) or Surabaya better for your career?

Bali 43Surabaya 41

Essentially tied, Bali versus Surabaya. Neither has much of a conventional job market; Bali leans on remote work while Surabaya runs on manufacturing, trade and port logistics.

Does Bali (Denpasar) or Surabaya have a better food and culture scene?

Bali 65Surabaya 47

Bali's clear win and the widest gap here. Its cafe culture, vegan cooking and Balinese ritual outscore Surabaya's more modest, locally oriented dining and nightlife scene.

Does Bali (Denpasar) or Surabaya have better public spaces and street life?

Bali 44Surabaya 33

Bali leads. Its free beaches and village ceremonies beat Surabaya's traffic-heavy, mall-oriented daily life, even though neither city offers much cared-for civic space.

The verdict

Choose Bali (Denpasar) for the broader all-round balance, especially if career matters most. Choose Surabaya if safety matters more. Compare their rent burden and day-to-day strengths before deciding.

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Bali (Denpasar) vs Surabaya looks different once your budget, work, and dealbreakers are in the mix. Answer a few questions and we'll weigh 109 metrics across 283 cities around your answers.

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Explore each city

Indonesia flagLiving in Bali (Denpasar)Indonesia flagLiving in Surabaya

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